Wringer



May 2l, 1940- G. w. wARDwELL, JR., err A1. 2,201,842

' WRINGER Filed July 18,' 1939 Inventors: George v W. Wadwe\ LJT?,

James l. Arnett, i a 3 by Wfwlm Them Acbovney.

'Patented May 2.1, i940 UNITED I STATES PMENT OFFICE f wlmzGEn George W. Wardwell, Jr., Nichols, and James I. Arnett, Stratford, Conn., assignors to General Electric Company, a'corporation of New York Application July '18. 1939,*Serial No. 285,103 s claims. (C1. ess-262) The .present invention relates to' clothes wringers of the type in which the pressure between the rolls is released when the wringer is not in opf erative conditionand in which the wringer is placed in operative condition by movement of a control bar which presses the rolls together. The control bar may also control the wringer driving mechanism to start rotation of the rolls when pressed together and to stop the rotation of the rolls when the pressure is released.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement in wringers of this, type, and in particular to provide a construction in which the control bar is l5, prevented from jumping outl of the wringer frame when the wringeris released. l

For a consideration of what we believe novel and our invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claims appended bodying our invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sec tional elevation of one end of the wringer; Fig. 3 isa top plan View of the plate containing the cam slot used for shifting the driving gears for the Wringer; Fig. 4 is an end View, partly broken away, the wringer being in the inoperative condition in which the pressure between the wringer rolls is released; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4,

the wringer being-in the operative condition in which the wringer rolls are pressed together; Fig.

6 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of the control bar; and Fig. 7 isa perspective view of one of the spring pressed members for pressing the upper roll against the" lower roll.

ferring to the )drawingfwthere is shown a wringer having aframe comprising sidestiles I and 2. The side stile l is fixed to a Wringer head '40 3 having a depending tubular portion 4 for'pivthe wringer in a fixed angular position with respect to the wringer post. l

Through the wringer post extends-a wringer drive shaft i0 which is continuously rotated, 55 for example by the mechanism (notfshown) The bot-.tom

used to drive the washing machine. The shaft I0 projects beyond the upper end of the wringer post 5, and on its projecting end is fixed a pin,- ion Il which is adapted to mesh selectively with one or the other of a pair of crown gears i2. 5" The crown gears are welded to a sleeve I3 which isslidably splined on a horizontal shaft i4. The left-hand end of shaft I4 is journaled in a bearing I5 carried in a boss i5 on the wringer head '3.- The right-hand end of the shaft It has fixed 3o' ,thereto a coupling member Il which rotates in a bearing I8 in a boss i9 on the side stile l and serves as asupport forA this end of the shaft ifi. The gears l2 are shifted by a yoke 20 which fits over the gears and is pivoted at its left end on i5 the bos's I6 and at its right end on the shaft i4. Thrust Washers 2I are arranged between the inner faces of the yoke 20 and the outer faces of the gears I2. On the upper `side of the yoke 2@ is fixed a plate 22 (Fig. 3) having a cam slot 23 gotherein which cooperates with a pin 24 threaded into the top wally of the wringer head. With this' construction itis obvious that as the yoke 20 is pivoted on the shaft i4 the pin 24 will cooperate with the cam slot 23 to move the yoke 20 to the g5. right or left so that one or the other of the gears l2 will mesh` with the driving pinion il, thus controlling the rotation of the shaft i4. When the driving pinion Il meshes with one of the gears I2 the pin 24 rests in one of the portions 30';

25 of the cam slot 23.

The lower and upper wringer rolls 26 and 21 are carried between the side stiles i and 2.' The lower wringer roll 26 is fixed to a shaft 28 the right end of which is rotatably carried in a bear- 35i ing 29 in a roll guard@ which is'pivoted in an arcuate portion 3i in the side stile 2. At the left Vcoupling "34 having a pin 35 x'ed therein, the

projecting ends of which extend within cooperat- 45? ing slots in the coupling member I1. The left end of the shaft 28 is supported by a cylindrical portion 36 of the coupling 34 which extendsy within a depression 31 in the couplin'g member Il. soi.`

The upper wringer roll 21 is rotatably carried on a shaft 38 fixed at each end to vertically extending arms 39 which are connected at their upper ends by a control bar 40 which extends across the t'op of the wringer.- The assembly 51;-V

comprising the control bar 46, the arms 39, and the shaft 36 serves as a carrier for the upper roll 21. 'I'he arms 36 are provided with bosses 4I which fit in open ended slots 42 in the pivoted roll guards 36 and 32. Above the bosses 4I are pins 43 which are pressed into the outer faces of the arms 39. Below the pins 43 are the reduced projecting ends 44 of the shaft 36. 'I'he projections 43 and 44 are loosely receivable in vertical slots 45 in pressure members or receivers 46. As shown in Fig. 4, the pressure members are slidably carried in the side stiles I and 2 and are urged downward against bosses or shoulders 41 on the side stiles by coil springs 56 surrounding bolts 46 extending up through the bosses 41 in the side stiles and threaded into bosses 46 on the pressure members. The coil springs 56 are arranged between the under side of the bosses 41 and the heads of the bolts. The lower position of the pressure members 46 is adjusted by washers I arranged between the upper side of the shoulders 41 and the lower side of the bosses 46. 'I'he upper position of the pressure members is limited by the tension of the springs 56. The upper ends of the pressure members are uidedzby guides 52 at the top of the side stiles and " When the upper roll and control bar are in the position shown in Fig. 4 the pressure between the rolls is released since the control bar and upper roll are free to move upward in the slots or recesses 45 in the pressure members 46. In this position the bosses 4I cooperate with the slots 42 in the roll guards 36 and 32 to move the roll guards to a central position. 'I'he roll guard 32 now cooperates with the yoke 2I'to maintain both of the gears I2 spaced from the driving pinion II, as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, the rotation of the rolls is stopped :in addition to the roll presy sure being released.

pressure members 46. The spaced walls 55 pro" vide a recess for receiving the rollers 53, as is shown more clearly in Fig. 7. Upon engagement of the pins 43 with the rollers 53 on one side of the recesses 45, the pins 43 serve as a fulcrum, about which the control bar pivots. The pivotal movement of the control bar causes the projections 44 at the lower ends of the arms 35 to be forced under rollers 56', as is shown in Fig. 5. 'Ihe rollers 56 are likewise located on opposite sides of the recess 45 and are rotatably carried in the recess between'the spaced walls 55 on 'pins 51 fixed at opposite ends in the walls 55. The rollers 56 serve as cam surfaces for fixing the upper roll to the pressure members 46. When the projections 44 are forced or wedged under the rollersl 56, the pressure members `46 are slightly raised above the washers 5I, as shown in Fig. '1, compressing the coil springs 56 and applying pressure Vbetween the wringer rolls. The force exerted on the upper wringer roll acts in the direction of the arrow 56 (Fig. 5). This force therefore tends`to maintain the projections 44 under the rollers 56. In this position dat surfaces 59 at the lower ends of the arms 36 relst against flat surfaces 66 on the pressure members` 46. These surfaces cooperate to limit the movement of the projections 44 under the rollers ,5,6.

In the course of the movement of the projections 44 under the rollers 56 the pressure exerted on the upper roll 21 opposes the movement until the center line of the projection 44 reaches a center line connecting the roller 56 and the lower wringer roll 26. After this point is reached the force exerted on the upper roll by the lower roll aids the movement of the projections 44 under the yrollers 56, and when the nal position is reached, as shown in Fig. 5. this pressure holds the projections under the rollers. At this time the pins 43 are out of contact with the rollers 53 and are not eective in maintaining the pressure between the rolls.

As the control bar 46 is moved to the inclined position shown in Fig. 5, the bosses 4| at the lower ends of the arms 39 cooperate with the open ended slots 42 in the roll guards 36 and 32 to tilt the roll guards as indicated in Fig. 5. This tilting movement of the roll guard 32 is transmitted to the yok'e26 by means of a tongue 6I on the yoke which fits in a groove 62 in the roll guard 32 and, as explained above, causes the yoke to be moved axially along the shaft I4 due to the cooperation of the pin 24 and the cam slot 23. This moves one or the other of the gears I2 into mesh with the driving pinion II and starts the rotation of the lower roll. Thev gearing is arranged so that when the control bar 46 is pulled toward the operator. the olls are rotated in the direction to feed clothes away from the operator.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 5, the lower roll is, as described above, rotated in the direction of the arrow 61. The torque exerted on the upper roll by the lower roll accordingly tends to hold the projections 44 under the rollers 56.

The pressure between the rolls is released and the rotation of the rolls is stopped by returning the control bar 46 to the central or vertical position. This means that the upper end of the control bar 46 is moved to the left as viewed in Fig. 5. Since the pins 43 are out of contact with the rollers 53 the control bar pivots about the projections 44 `at the start of this movement. The fiat surfaces 56 at the lower ends of the arms 36 cooperate with the surfaces 66 on the pressure members 46 to pry the projections 44 from under the rollers 56. Since the point of contact between the surfaces 59 and 66 is very close to the center ofthe projections 44, a large leverage is obtained to assist the prying action. When the projections 44 move to the right (Fig. 5) of a center line connecting the lower roll and the rollers 56. the roll pressure begins to assist in moving the projections 44 from under the rollers 56. Since the roll pressure is largecompared to the force exerted by thev operator on the control bar, the additional movement of the control bar from this position to the central position of Fig. 41s easily eected. The pins 43 are moved clear of the rollers 53 before the projections 44 are released from the rollers, 56. The rollers 53 and projections 43 have substantially no action during the pressue release. There maybe a momentary contact between the projections 43 and rollers 53.

Upon the returnof the control bar to the central position the rotation of the rolls is stopped and the roll pressure is released. The wringer is accordingly in an inoperative condition.

With the above described construction itis apparent that the roll pressure is applied easily and,

due to the prying action obtained by the cooperating surfaces 56 and 66, is still more easily refleased. This is important because under emer- When the control bar is iii/fthe central position. as shown in Figs. 1, 2, nd 4, itis free to move upward in the slots 45 in the pressure members 46. Since just prior to reaching this position the control bar was subjected to the full pressure between the rolls, this pressure is effective t'o move the control bar upward. Unless restrained, the control bar might jump out of the wringer. In the present construction this is prevented by walls 68 at the upper ends of the pressure members I8, which close the upper endsA of the walls 45 and cooperate with the projections 43 to limit the upward movement of the control bar. The walls 58 which limit the upward movement ofthe control bar would, in the absence of other provisions, prevent the removal of the control bar and upper roll, which is desirable to permit easy cleaning of the wringer. To provide for removal of the ccnt'rol bar, one of the pressure vmembers 86 is provided with a slot or recess 69 at the upper `end into which the projections 43 and 4,4 may be moved by endwise movement of the control bar, as shown in Fig. 1. In this position the pro-I I jections 43 and 44 at the other end of the control bar are clear of the wall 6l in the adjacent pressure member #36, and the control bar can accordingly be pivoted about the projections Within the slot 69 to move the other end of the control bar clear of its pressure member. Since the removal of the control bar is possible only upon endwise movement, there is no danger of the control bar jumping out of the wringer upon release of the pressure. This is further prevented by the fact that the endwise movement is possible only when the control bar is in a vertical position so that both projections B3 and M are in alignment with the slot 69. Also, when the projections at one end of the control bar are in the slot 69, the projections at the other end of the wringer must be moved upward through a notch lll. If the projections are out of alignment with either the slot 69 or 4the notch 70. it is impossible to remove the control bar. It is therefore apparent that by the present construction the control bar is at all times held in the wringer unless the operator intends to remove te same. v

What we claim as new and/desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a wringen/a frame consisting of spaced side stilesandna bottom frame member, a lower roll carried inthe frame, a control bar extending /acrss the top of the wringer carryingV an upper roll, pressure-members in the side stiles, vertical passages slidably receiving the control bar in a central position. means effective upon tilting the control bar to lock the control bar to said pressure members, walls at the upper ends of said passages for retaining the controibar therein, and a recess in oneof said passages for receiving one end of the control bar upon endwise movement thereof whereby the control bar may be tilted about said recess to move the other end of the controlbar clear ofthe wringer.

. 2. In a wringer, a frame consisting of spaced side stiles anda bottom frame member, a lower `roll carried in the frame, a. control bar extending across the top of the wrin'ger carrying an upper roll and having projections at each end, pressure members in the side stiles, vertical passages in said pressure .members slidably receiving said projections, cam surfaces on the pressure members, means effective upon tilting of the control bar for forcing said projections under said cam surface to lock the control barto said pressure members, walls at the upper ends of said passages cooperating with said projections'to retain the control bar therein, and a recess in one of said passages for receiving the projections at one end of the control bar upon endwise movement thereof whereby the control bar may be tilted to move the projections at the other end thereof clear of its pressure member.

3. In a wringer, a frame consisting of spaced Y side stiles and a bottom frame member, a lower roll carried in the frame, a control bar extending across the top of the wringer carrying an upper roll and having projections at each end, pressure members in the side stiles, walls on said pressure members defining vertical passages slidably receiving said projections, said walls cooperating with the projections to prevent removal of the projections from the passages by vertical or lat-` eral movement of the control bar, means for releasably locking the control bar to the pressure members, and a. recess in one of said passages for receiving the projections at one end of the control bar upon endwise movement thereof whereby the control bar may be tilted about said recess to move the other end of the control bar clear of 

